Questions

Hello I am new here. I am 16 years old and I just went to my doctor and found out that I have several cysts on my right ovarie ranging from 1-2 inches each. My doctor says that it is probably PCOS, but she wants to do more tests to be positive. I have read some thing about PCOS, like symptoms and treatment, but I was wondering what kind of surgerys they had? Do they have any? Is that better then taking drugs? Will it get rid of the cysts all together and they wont come back? I really dont know much about all of this and any information would be great. Thank you Samantha

Hi Sam- Boy are you lucky they've caught this now and not ten or twenty years down the line like most of us! As far as surgeries go- they are a temporary (but important!!) fix. Removing the cysts surgically will keep those ones from rupturing causing you intense pain, huge risks for infections and all sorts of nasty hemorraging. If your dr is suggesting it, go for it. Most pf these can be done laproscopically, which means the doc will make 1 (or up to 3 I think, depending on the location of the cysts) small holes in you belly or belly button and use a miscropic laser to remove the cysts. The healing time is usually quick- a few days, maybe a week max. The scars are usually minimal. The other option (that I know of) is an "open" surgery, similar to a c-section- if you've ever known someone who's had one. that's normally a bikini line cut, hip to hip and then they fix whatever needs fixing that way. Recovery is 2-8 weeks. There is NO surgery to get rid of PCOS- I wish. The best options (most likely) for you would be birth control (hormone regulation) like the Pill, the Patch or Depo-Provera shots...this helps to regulate the chemicals your body uses to operate normally (or abnormally in our case). Other than that, many of us wind up on a drug called Metformin (Glucophage) which helps the bpdy regulate how it processes food, so it doesn't instantly turn everything to sugar and fat. Read the top post for today on PCOS lifestyle- trying to get yourself onto organics is a great move, so are fruit/vegetable heavy diets. Carbs taste great but are enemies to PCOS sufferers, so pick one or two you can't live without and dump the rest for good if you can. Excercise as much as you can, as often as you can and in as many ways as you can. Swimming, volleyball, rollerblading....anything- even rock climbing or yoga or whatever. Keep your body moving while it's younger and life will be easier when you're older. Good luck to you! Raven PCOS diagnosed in 2003 (most likely suffered since 1984 according to DR)

thank you so much for all of that information. I am just really scared about all of this and I am mostly scared about maybe not being able to have children when I am older. This week friday I go in for another ultra sound, and then the following week, I go to the doctors so she can give me some medicine. I plan on begining and new healthy life style real soon. Thanks again :) Sam

hi sam i am sorry about your problems. you seem so mature also. i think the last post covered it. and yes its a good thing they caught it while you are young. misty